One note: I will be leaving tonight for Israel, to cover the
upcoming KP Plenary meeting, and I hope to blog a bit from there. But this
round-up may be late (or early) next week, depending on my free time.
And now the news …
Signet prepays notes.
– U.K. chain thanks public for
foiling robbery.
Charles and Covard sales, profits up.
Pandora’s plans laid
out in prospectus.
– David Yurman remodels
ecommerce site.
Bloomingdales doing well with jewelry.
– Jewelry sales rising, says USA
Today.
– Idex gloomy about holiday.
– Indian jewelers “bullish.”
National Jeweler goes
digital-only.
Fred Meyer jewelers opens
in supermarket.
De Beers anti-trust case in court Feb. 23.
Lazare Kaplan settles
with banks.
Ideal Diamond Solutions goes
Chapter 11.
– Chapter 7 petition filed against
Blackstone Diamond.
Report: JB Diamonds (India) defaults.
– Article blames
“next generation.”
– “Dark shadow” over workers.
Indian banks “taken
for a ride.”
Indian deal for Zim diamonds “raises
questions.”
– Group to lobby
Indian government.
– My thoughts: Are Marange diamonds
ethical?
– Eyeing Russia,
Angola.
– Chaim: An “empty
box.” ($$)
Rio sees higher
Zimbabwe output.
Report: Alrosa faces
“hard times.”
– Sells a billion
in bonds.
– Wants to be
Olympic sponsor.
– Armenia wants higher
diamond exports.
State approves Indian diamond
mine.
Miner Transhex “ailing.”
Campaign launched against
Israeli diamonds. While I support adding human rights language to the KP,
it is perhaps inevitable that bringing up such issues will make it more
politicized and drag in all sorts of tangential topics, like Israel/Palestine,
etc. On the KP’s Facebook
page, one of the activists involved in the KP (Nadim Kara) says bringing in
topics like this, especially if they don’t have anything to do with diamond
extraction, would
make the mandate “too broad.” That is true, but even so, sensitivity about
these issues may be why we don’t see any human rights language included in the
KP. (One note: Please do not discuss Israel/Palestine in the comments. This
isn’t the place for it. Thanks.)
Sotheby’s sells
rare pink.
Forevermark sales exceed
$200 million annually.
DTC Botswana strike “suspended.”
Legal guidelines proposed for
buying “conflict” resources.
Charity boss who got Naomi Campbell stones in
court.
De Beers wins award for
report.
Man arrested with 2600
diamonds in stomach.
LVMH buys
shares in Hermes. But denies
takeover.
Wittelsbach-Graff displayed
in New York.
Maria Sharapova’s engagement
ring.
Victoria Secret diamond
bra. And who can live without the
diamond saucepan.
Media Watch:
– Blue Nile CEO talks to
Financial Times.
– Local
coverage of B.C. Clark’s trip to Africa.
– WSJ speaks
to Carol Brodie.
– The
Economist charts world’s biggest diamond producers.
From the Blog:
Thoughts from the Rapaport Conference:
Are Marange Diamonds Ethical?
Pandora’s
Plans: Online, Sunglasses, Watches and More!
National
Jeweler Goes Digital-Only.
– Cutting Remarks RSS feed.
– Email: rbates – at – jckonline.com.
– Twitter feed, w/blog, news
updates, and occasional office inside jokes: robbatesjck
– Connect on facebook
and linkedin.
– Now on Skype: rob.bates3
Have a great weekend!
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